Fiction and Romance
by DeliriousAbsol
Summary: Amy starts to wonder if romance is anything like her favourite novels show it to be. About to give up on the idea, she decides to go to Twinkle Park's 'Two for One' event to cool off, but she runs into a friend on the way. Things start to go in very unexpected ways. What started out as a pretty stressful day turns out to be one she will remember for a long, long time!


**A/N - Something fluffy I decided to write just because I felt like writing fluff. I know this is a bit of an odd pairing, but I was read a couple of fanfiction with this pairing the other day and thought it was cute. So here you go =)**

 **Just a note that Amy is seventeen in this story so all characters are around five years older.**

 **Disclaimer - I do NOT own 'Sonic the Hedgehog' or any characters from the franchise!**

Fiction and Romance

Each page turned seemed to elicit another sigh from the pink hedgehog as she flipped through the little book on her lap. It wasn't that the book was boring, or that it caused any distress. It was because it wasn't the first time she'd read it. It had become less of a way to casually pass the time and become a rather tedious study method as she tried to wrap her brain around where exactly she was going wrong.

It was becoming more and more apparent that manga and light novels were set in an entirely different universe to the one she currently resided.

She let out another sigh and turned the page, biting into the chocolate bar in her free hand.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if you're trying to grab someone's attention."

The park seemed to flood back into her vision as she looked up from the book, almost dazzled by the early summer sun. Her ears twitched and she looked round at the large tree behind her. No one seemed to be sitting there, and she was about to dismiss it as her imagination until one of the branches swayed slightly, and appearing seemingly out of thin air was a familiar purple chameleon.

"Espio?" Amy's eyes widened briefly and she looked back down at her book. "How long have you been sat there?"

"Long before you showed up."

She glanced up at him again. The words 'and you never thought to say hi?' crossed her mind, but she decided not to voice them, instead taking another bite of her chocolate and blindly turning the page of her book.

"You seem to not be enjoying that novel," he said.

"It's not that I'm not enjoying it."

He seemed to pick up on the hesitation in her voice. He leant back against the tree and closed his eyes.

"I could always give you some recommendations if you're interested?"

Amy wasn't really warm to the idea of books filled with ninjas jumping about throwing stars, so she skirted over that part of their sudden conversation.

"It's just..." She closed the book rather too hard and shook her head. "It's all wrong."

"Wrong? If you don't like it, then find something you _do_ want to read."

"It _is_ what I want to read!"

"Then I don't understand the problem."

"The problem isn't in the writing!"

The chameleon was still watching her so she took it as a cue to continue.

"I've tried everything in these books, arranging chance encounters with Sonic hoping he might take the hint and it would turn into an amazing date. Theme parks, sweet desserts, walking home in the rain... yet nothing works! When we went to a theme park, he wanted to go on all the fast rides and complained on the slower ones. When I suggest desserts, all he wants are chilli dogs so we end up going to a hot dog stand. There's nothing romantic about chilli dogs! And last night, when we left Tail's party, it was raining. All he did was bundle me into a cab then run home after a 'see ya!'"

She leant forward on her lap, silently trying to catch her breath. Where had all that come from? She barely even knew Espio all that well, and suddenly she'd vented something she'd been unknowingly bottling up for a while, and there it all was. Out in the open. Vented to one of Sonic's friend's friends.

He probably thought she was a total idiot. She certainly felt like one.

She looked back at the tree. Espio was still perched on the branch with his arms folded behind his head, but he was no longer looking at her. He had his eyes closed, clearly disinterested. Maybe she'd bored him to sleep.

She stood up with a mighty sigh and looked down at the book in her hand.

"Never mind." She walked away, tossing the book into the nearest trash can. "I suppose it's called fiction for a reason, right?"

An invisible dark cloud descended over her as she slumped out of the park, without so much as a glance back over her shoulder.

Fiction.

That's all it was.

...

The little cafe wasn't too far from Amy's apartment. A dainty sign hung in the window advertising the sweetest cakes this side of Station Square. Her mouth watered at the display in the window. It was always worth a stop by, and right now she didn't really want to go home and start sorting through all her books.

She quickly ordered a piece of lemon drizzle cake and a cup of cocoa and retired to a little corner table. She'd barely started her cake when she dropped her fork in surprise as someone dropped into the seat in front of her.

"Well, isn't this a surprise?" Rouge chuckled and leant back in her chair. She sipped at her tea, smirking as she kept one eye on the hedgehog. "I don't think I've ever seen you in here without your nose stuck in a book." She paused and set her cup back onto its saucer with a clink. Her smile dropped and she looked Amy up and down. "Why do you look so glum, Pinky? Does this have anything to do with last night's party?"

"Oh... no..." Amy poked at her cake and shrugged. "Sorry, but I don't think I can deal with yet another embarrassing confession. I'm still trying to process it myself."

"Come on, darling. It might be helpful to get it off your chest." Rouge picked up a fork and gestured to Amy's cake. "May I?"

Amy shrugged again. "Sure."

Rouge popped a small piece of cake in her mouth and stared at Amy for a moment. Eventually, she lowered her fork and sat back in her seat.

"This has something to do with a certain blue hedgehog, doesn't it?"

Amy ran a hand through her quills. "I'm still trying to work things out."

"Has he finally given you a firm 'no'?"

"What?" Amy's eyes widened and she sat up straight to stare at the bat girl. "No!"  
"Oh, I'm sorry." Rouge covered her mouth and chuckled. "So it's not the party, it's not Sonic... what's the problem?"

"The problem," Amy began, "is that the books I read all lie about dates. I've tried many of their methods on Sonic, and nothing works."  
"Oh dear." Rouge sipped her tea. "Is that why you're not currently reading a book?"

Amy stuffed a small piece of cake in her mouth and looked away from Rouge. "Yes. They seem to cause me nothing but problems."

Rouge laughed and set her cup back down. "Oh, Amy! That's the funniest thing I've heard all day, and I've just been teasing old Knuckles!"

Amy practically bristled. "What's funny about it?!"

Stifling her laughter, Rouge wiped a finger across her eyes and stared at Amy.

"Darling, have you ever thought that the problem might not lie in the books you read?"

Amy just stared at her, her mouth agape.

Rouge stood up and leant forward on the table. "I think what's really going on here is you're finally realising that unless he has bricks for brains, Sonic is _not interested_."

"Not interested?!" Amy reached behind her back for her mallet. "I think you'll find that-"

Rouge stuck out a hand and placed it on her arm, and a warm smile spread across her face.

"Come on, Pinky. Listen to Rouge. You're a grown woman now. You need to stop chasing the same old hog and getting yourself into emotional tangles, because someone else out there is waiting to whisk you off your feet."

Amy stared at her with one hand still positioned behind her back. "Why are you trying to drive me away from him? Are you jealous?"

Rouge laughed and released her arm. "Jealous? Goodness, no! But do take my advice - if he's not interested, then move on. Don't take your heartache out on your books."

The bat moved away from her and walked across the cafe. She paused in the door to give Amy a small wave before it closed behind her with a tinkle of bells.

Amy flopped back down into her seat and stared into her still steaming cocoa. Did Rouge actually have a point? She didn't actually get on with the bat, but... no... she couldn't listen to her.

But she had struck an odd chord.

...

Amy fastened the tape over the closed cardboard box and stood back. The room looked small, and oddly empty, with three cardboard boxes standing in the middle of it. It had taken all day to sort through her collection of shoujo manga and light novels, placing them into two careful piles. When she'd woken up this morning, she looked over the heaped stacks of books and abandoned the idea, stuffing all of them into the boxes.

It had been hard work.

She dusted herself down and moved into the kitchen, but something on the doormat caught her eye. She grabbed the flier from the mat and looked over it.

'Twinkle Park Fair – Two for One'

The fair. It had been advertised weeks ago, and she'd already received a flier. This deal was only on for two days, and she'd been thinking of going to it but she'd missed the first day due to frantically organising her books. Why would someone have put it through her door? She shrugged and dropped it onto the kitchen counter.

She flicked on the kettle and leant back on the counter, her eye drifting over to that flier.

The last day was today...

It wouldn't hurt to go along to it. It'd be a nice break after sorting through her bookcases.

She checked the time on her clock. Nine-thirty. She had thirty minutes to get there, and she imagined the queue would be quite long and filled with cute couples.

Did she really want to be dealing with that right now?

She flicked off the kettle, bringing its dull hum to an abrupt end, and grabbed her summer jacket from the hook. Even if she didn't go to the theme park, at least she could take a walk and get some fresh air.

Within moments she was on the street, trotting across the road and making a beeline for the amusement park.

"Hey!"

She stopped and looked behind her. Espio was leaning on the wall, and she'd walked straight past him, too occupied on reaching the theme park in blind hope she wouldn't be left standing in a queue alone.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" he asked.

"I... I was going to go to Twinkle Park," she said.

"Alone?"

He stared at her, waiting for an answer. She glanced away from him and stared absently down the street.

"I was thinking of going myself," he said. "But it's two for one. If you're not going with anyone..."

"Huh?"

She looked back round at him and he raised an eyebrow at her. Part of her wasn't sure if she'd heard him right, but he appeared to be waiting for a response from her. She inclined her head on one side and flashed him a smile.

"You know what? That might actually be fun."

He gave her a small smile and kicked himself back from the wall. "Great." He adjusted the strap on the small brown bag he was carrying and fell into step beside her. "I'd thought about going yesterday, but we had an investigation and we didn't get time."

"Oh really?" She glanced at him. "Will your friends be there or are they still working?"

"Oh they'll be there." He closed his eyes. "Charmy's been mithering us to take him all week."  
"Then why didn't you go with him?"  
"Are you kidding? Have you ever been to a theme park with Charmy? He drags us all over the place. There's barely a chance to take things in!"

Amy chuckled. "He sounds a lot of fun."

"He is. But he's also a ball of energy. After yesterday I just want a chance to relax." He gave her a sideways glance and smiled. "I'm sure Vector will enjoy his company just fine without me."

As they rounded the corner, jaunty music reached their ears and the giant castle-like gates of Twinkle Park came into view. A long queue stretched from the gate but much to Amy's delight it was moving along quickly as it divided into three to pass the workers dishing out the tickets.

She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small, pink purse. Espio placed a hand on hers and she looked up at him.

"Put your purse away, Amy."

"But -"

He waved a hand. "My treat."

Her eyes widened like saucers. "Are you sure?"

He shrugged. "You're accompanying me aren't you?"

"Okay." Amy felt a smile spread across her face. "Thank you."

When they were through the gate, she picked up a map and flipped it open.

"Apparently there's a new ride in this park."

"Hmm?" Espio appeared over her shoulder.

"Yes. The Tidal Wave. It claims to be the fastest roller-coaster ever."

"Fastest ever eh?"  
She folded the map up and put it in her bag. "It looks like fun. Part of it rushes through water."

"Well." He folded his hands behind his head and looked at her. "If you want to have a go, I suggest we go first. That way we can dry off in the sun."

The park was filled with families, laughing children and couples all heading for different rides or queueing for the most popular ones. Looming ahead of them rose the highest peak of the Tidal Wave. Screams could be heard over the din of voices as the train hurtled down the steep slope to vanish briefly in a cascade of water.

The queue for it was quite long, and Amy leant on the rail as she observed the other people in the park. She thought she could see Rouge and Shadow amongst them, but they vanished into the crowd. It made her wonder if any of her friends would be here today.

She was brought out of her reverie as the line began to move again. The long train was waiting for its passengers and she followed Espio into one of the central carts. She fastened herself in place and had a look around at the track to see what exactly this ride did. Before she could take it all in, the train lurched forwards and she snapped her attention to what was in front of them.

The first incline was slow, but the train sped down the drop and picked up speed, pushing them back into their seats. Already the other passengers were screaming as the train hurtled along the track, winding around the path and spiralling upwards only to drop again and throw itself in a twisting corkscrew. Water sprayed up from below whenever the train turned upside-down, and Amy closed her eyes, suddenly aware that she was screaming along with the other passengers.

The train righted itself and plummeted down to ground level. They were plunged into darkness as it shot through a tunnel, and wet spray surged over the edge of the train as it raced through water. As it hurtled back out into the daylight, Amy shook her head to dry her hair, but she knew it was pointless. The train was now climbing frantically up a steady incline. She ventured a look down and her heart shot into her throat. The people in the park looked like ants below them. She held on to the rail and looked back at where they were heading. The train had reached its peak and teetered over the edge for a moment before hurtling down its steepest drop.

Her stomach seemed to leave her body and she screamed, clutching onto Espio for dear life. Water rushed up around them, flowing into the carriages and the screams around them died down as the train slowed to a stop at the drop off point.

When she finally dared to open her eyes, she looked up into Espio's yellow ones. He glanced down at her and she sat back with a start and released his arm.

"I... I'm sorry."  
He chuckled and unfastened his safety harness, but he didn't say anything. Amy felt her face flush and she looked away from him before unfastening her own harness. Her heart was still racing but she wasn't sure if it was from the ride of from the spontaneity of her own actions. She stood up, draining the water from her quills, but faltered on the edge of the cart. Espio's hand was stretched out to her and she took it gingerly. He hoisted her out of the carriage and onto the platform, and the train trundled away behind her.

He released her hand and turned away. "I think something a little drier next is in order."

"L-like what?" Amy stuttered as she followed him.

"I don't know. The sun's still out so let's just walk around and see where we end up."

They strolled through the exit to the Tidal Wave and a surge of hysterical laughter came from the crowd. Amy looked around slowly, fearing the worst. Charmy Bee hovered above Vector who sported a huge grin. Fortunately neither of them noticed them standing in the thick of the crowd. Charmy was pointing at the photo display, nudging the crocodile and saying something Amy couldn't hear. She took a sharp step back as her eyes went to the picture that had caused the bee to be thrown into a laughing fit.

A picture of her clinging on to a rather amused Espio.

"I..." She turned around to find the chameleon smiling at her. "I can normally handle roller-coasters better than that!"  
He shook his head and chuckled as he turned away, keeping one eye on her. "Something a little drier... and slower?"

She grit her teeth and ran after him. "I _really can_ handle them better than that!"

...

"A house of mirrors?" Amy looked up at the sign above the door and clapped her hands together. "Oh I _love_ these!"

"Huh." Espio stopped beside her and followed her gaze. "A building filled with mirrors that distort the reflection? They certainly have their comedy value."

"Exactly! I choose this one!" She took off towards the door.

There was no queue, and when she got inside there were no other people to be seen. Clearly everyone decided the newer more exciting rides were much more interesting than a traditional park attraction. The emptiness made it rather overwhelming as suddenly it was like a hundred Amys appeared in the building all wearing the same bemused expression.

She came to a screeching halt and looked around. Tall mirrors stood up on either side of her, stretching the length of the tunnel which seemed to end with another mirror, each one copying her as she looked around with her mouth agape. She jumped around to face one of the mirrors when Espio appeared behind her.

"Well this isn't what I was expecting." He rubbed the back of his head and stared at the expanse of mirrors. "This is more like a maze."  
"So... we need to work our way through this and find the way out?"

"I'd say so. I checked the door after I came in and it doesn't open from this side."  
She crossed her arms and stared at him. "You're not bored are you?"

"No. I just wanted to know our options." He gave her a pat on the shoulder to encourage her to walk beside him. "We have to find the door on the other side."

Manoeuvring through this expanse of mirrors was no easy task. It took a keen eye to spot the tunnel moving off from it as it shot off at a diagonal angle.

Something at the end of the tunnel caught Amy's eye and she grabbed Espio's arm with such abruptness he wasn't expecting it. All down the tunnel his reflection wore the same shocked expression. Those on the left looked away from her, but those on the right all stared directly at her. It was so surreal it threw her for a moment and she couldn't help letting out a nervous laugh as she tried to gather herself.

"Look at that!" She released his arm pointed at the dead end ahead of them.

She bolted off towards the odd mirror. When Espio joined her side, she stared at his distorted reflection and burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

He raised an eyebrow at her, which only made her laugh even more.

"You look so short!" she gasped out between breaths.

"Well... so do you." A smirk played at the corner of his mouth.

"But it looks so strange on you!" She closed her eyes as she flopped against the mirror beside her, clutching her stomach in laughter. Taking a few deep breaths, she placed a hand on the mirror and steadied herself, wiping a finger across her eye.

"Oh... I think we need to move away from this, it's too funny."  
She looked round at the chameleon... and let out a small squeal of surprise. He was gone.

She span around, searching for him, but all she could see was hundreds of equally surprised Amys turning left and right as they tried to spot the hundreds of suddenly missing Espios.

"Okay..." She straightened and frowned. "I know you can turn invisible. Are you just trying to get me back for laughing at you?"

She shook her head and moved away, trailing a hand against the mirror wall to avoid overlooking the next tunnel. The distorted mirror on her left revealed the next opening. She moved into it, keeping an eye open for any sign of Espio. She knew it was pointless. If he was invisible, the only way she could reveal him would be to blow pepper into the air and hope he'd sneeze and lose his focus.

Oh well. If she just went on looking for the exit while pretending this didn't bother her, he might get bored of playing his sneaky ninja tricks.

A wave of overwhelming worry that he'd got fed up with her and snuck away caused her to falter briefly and she fought the urge to look back over her shoulder. Why did that bother her? She didn't exactly know him as well as she did Tails and Sonic, but she couldn't deny she'd been enjoying spending time with him. But she also couldn't argue it was likely one-sided. He probably hadn't wanted to be dragged around Twinkle Park by a tomboyish hedgehog. Hadn't he said he'd wanted a chance to relax?

She shrugged it off and pressed on. If that was the case, then she'd just enjoy the rides by herself, maybe find Cream if she was around.

The mirror before her distorted her image making her look rather bottom heavy. She shook herself and looked back down the tunnel. This was a dead end. She could see the small, tell-tale sign that she'd walked past the next bend as one of the mirrors went at a thirty-five degree angle. She backtracked and followed the bend, and she hadn't got very far down it when a pair of hands covered her eyes and pulled her back into a warm body.

She yelped and pulled herself free, pulling out her Piko Piko Hammer and spinning to face her assailant. Espio stood behind her, laughing, doubled over with his hands on his knees.

She lowered her hammer and stared at him, a smile pulling at her lips. A silly prank... it was a side of him she'd not seen before, and it surprised her a little. He'd always come across as quiet and serious, she'd not expected him to have a playful streak. A warm feeling welled up in her stomach and she looked away from him, but the spread of mirrors around them made it near impossible.

"Sorry about that, I couldn't resist." He straightened up, a smile still spread across his face. "You can put your hammer away. There's no need to smash our way out." She jumped as he placed his hand on her back. "The door's just there."

She followed his nod and looked behind her. There it was. A large pair of red double doors.

"Oh... so it is."

She giggled nervously and walked briskly towards it. The fresh, outdoor air was incredibly welcome as it washed over her with a cool breeze.

"Oh dear."

The voice sent a jolt up her spine. She looked round to find Shadow and Rouge sat on a bench. The bat girl was licking an ice cream while giving her an amused smile. Shadow, however, looked less than impressed. He looked down at her hammer.

"You didn't trash the place did you?"

"Eh?!"

Amy's eyes shot wide open and she looked down at her hammer. With a quick flourish she put it away. As Espio joined her side another jolt ran up her spine.

This didn't go overlooked by Rouge and she gave Amy a sly smile and a wink which set the pink hedgehog's quills on end.

Espio steered her away from them and led her down a narrow path that cut through a busy crowd.

"Where do you want to go next?" he asked her.

Amy couldn't think of anywhere. Her mind was shut off the image of Rouge's winking face, despite how much she tried.

Think of anything... anything...

A sweet smell wafted on the wind and she looked up at a sign that pointed towards the source of the smell – the snack stands.

"I think I'm in the mood for ice cream."

...

The warm rays from the sun were occasionally disrupted by a passing cloud and a cool breeze that wafted through Amy's quills, aiding in the task of finishing drying her off and whipping up the scent of the surrounding flowers. The trickle of the water fountain in the centre of the garden gave this area of the theme park a tranquil, quiet feel over the sounds of squeals in the distance. The nice soft serve vanilla ice cream was an added bonus too. Naturally the wafer and crumbly chocolate stick were the first thing to go.

She sat back on the bench watching the passing couples, families and excitable children as they rushed off to the next ride or enjoyed a gentle stroll through the garden area. Beyond them the Rocket ride shot up vertically into the air then halted before plummeting back down again with distant screams from its passengers. Behind it wound the massive Tidal Wave and another twisting and looping roller-coaster.

"I quite like this garden."

She looked round at Espio, catching his sideways glance as he finished his ice cream cone. That wink from Rouge flashed back into her mind and she jerked, the cold sensation of vanilla soft serve sliding up her nose. She shook her head sharply and tried not to snort as she wiped it away on her napkin. He chuckled and she felt her face heat up as she stifled an inward groan. She turned her attention back to her ice cream and tried to mask her embarrassment, distracting herself by watching a couple of butterflies dance from flower to flower around the fountain.

"So you're not in a rush to move on then?" she asked.

"Not at all." He leant back on the bench and folded his arms behind his head. "Nice weather, pleasant company... I'm not in a rush to go anywhere."

"I agree."

It certainly was nice weather. Soft white clouds rolled across the sky, bobbing past the sun and masking its rays to bathe them in cool air for a moment.

Wait... nice company?

She jerked around to look at the chameleon, the ice cream still pressed to her mouth. He was smiling at her while watching her from the corner of his eye.

She couldn't exactly deny she was enjoying his company especially not after passively agreeing with him. How would he react if she suddenly backtracked to clarify she was talking about the weather and not being in any rush to move on? But... she _was_ enjoying his company. For the first time in years she wasn't being dragged around from ride to ride... or more so, running after the blue blur as she tried to keep up with him darting about from ride to ride... third-wheeled by a two-tailed fox who had no idea she'd been planning the whole endeavour to be a date. Of course, she loved Tails, and as it often turned out he was much more fun to be around, willing to slow down and enjoy the experience rather than looking for the thrill of a roller-coaster. But still, it was often chilli dogs over ice cream.

And here she was, right now, enjoying herself more than she ever had with someone she'd never considered spending time with like this.

And he was still smiling. At her.

Her eyes widened as she realised she had been staring this whole time. She jerked her head away and nibbled silently on the edge of her cone as she watched a butterfly venture closer to her and land on her knee briefly before fluttering away to join its friend.

"So, Amy."

She glanced back at him again, but she was very aware of her face all of a sudden. The cool breeze didn't help matters as the rest of her body felt significantly cooler.

"If you had to pick any ride to go on next," he said, "what would it be?"

"Hmm." She absently licked at liquid ice cream trickling its way out of a crack in her remaining cone. "I'm not so sure."

"Well I'm happy with anything," he said. "The Rocket ride, ferris wheel."

 _Ferris wheel?!_

She swallowed a mouthful of vanilla and wafer and gave him a sideways glance. Several scenes from shoujo manga went on a slide-show exhibition through her mind and it was everything she could do to not crush the remaining cone.

Fortunately it was too late. She'd dropped it. She stooped to pick it up again and stood up to toss it in the nearby trash can.

The ferris wheel was too much. A sudden gust of wind shaking the high cabins, the ride getting stopped temporarily, the cliché jealous friends climbing into the cabin behind them. (For some reason a giggling Charmy and Vector filled that position, followed by a bored Shadow and rather eager Rouge shouting encouragements for the inevitable kiss scene...)

Her ears twitched and she glanced nervously over her shoulder at the faces of the passing crowd behind her.

"I... I think swans."

"Sure. Swans are fine." Espio rose from the bench and joined her side. "Shall we?"  
"Yes." She gave him a smile. "I think they actually let you feed the ducks on there. And there are cute Chao living on one of the small islands too."

He closed his eyes and chuckled. "Sounds much more peaceful than my office."

She moved to lead him away but she was stopped as he grabbed her wrist.

"Amy. Hang on a second."

She looked back at him and her heart leapt into her throat as he lowered his face to hers. She felt a soft brush against her fur as he quickly licked her cheek. Both her hands went to her mouth and she stared blankly at the fountain, her face as hot as coals.

"You'd missed a spot with your napkin."

She heard him move away from her, but all she could think was how she hadn't felt the urge to pull out her hammer and chase him across the park with it.

' _What's going on, Amy?_ ' she asked herself.

She looked up to find him waiting by the fountain, smiling at her.

' _Come on, woman. Pull yourself together. The swans... think about the ducks._ '

But the only thing that occupied her mind as they walked towards the swans was how that seemed like yet another scene from a shoujo novel.

Two in the space of five minutes... and she hadn't seen it coming.

...

The swan boats were certainly elegant in design. The long necks arced out from the body like a letter 'S', and the intricately sculpted wings rose up from the sides of the bird and joined together at the top to provide a little shelter as the boats trundled slowly along the tracks under the water. It was one of the more relaxing rides where you could just sit back and enjoy the scenery as the boat passed by the abundant flower beds and wound past the little island with the small Chao colony. Ducks quacked away as they followed the swan boats around the lake, lapping up the bread crumbs and occasionally bobbing their heads under the water and sticking their tails in the air as they dove for something unseen below the surface.

"I have to hand it to you, Amy. You picked a good ride."

Espio had his eyes closed and his arms folded behind his head as he leant back against the rear of the boat, sheltered by the swan's wings. There wasn't much to shelter from. The sun was now hidden behind the blanket of white fluffy clouds. She strained to find a note of sarcasm behind his voice, but there wasn't one. She smiled and turned back to the ducks, reaching into the paper bag and scattering breadcrumbs onto the water.

"Yeh. I like this one."

The larger ducks rushed past one of the smaller ones to snatch up the treat and a little brown one looked up at Amy with a somewhat mournful expression and quacked sadly as it bobbed a foot or so away with a couple of ducklings.

She turned to the larger ones and frowned. "Hey! Don't do that! There's enough for all of you, you can share."

The big mallards just looked up at her expectantly and began quacking amongst themselves, flapping their wings in the water.

"Here." Espio appeared beside her and he reached into the bag for a small handful of crumbs. "I'll distract the bigger ones if you want to feed the mother."

He flicked the bread to the right of the mallards with amazing accuracy. A breeze whipped up, whisking the crumbs further away and they peppered the water by the front of the swan. The big ducks streaked after it, quacking and snapping at the water as they rushed to lap it all up.

The brown duck and her ducklings were still hesitantly holding back from the bigger ones. Amy gave her a smile and threw a handful of crumbs at her. The mother nudged her children forward and joined them in enjoying the treat.

Amy giggled and scattered more crumbs at them. "There you go. Make sure you have plenty now. You need to grow up big and strong!"  
Her eyes snapped to her right as Espio reached for the paper bag and his fingers brushed against hers. Her entire arm tingled as though someone had run it through with a mild electric jolt. She watched as the colourful mallards took off after another scattering of crumbs.

"I think we're almost out." He handed the bag back to her.

She glanced inside. There was enough left for the mother and her ducklings. She upturned the bag and let the remaining crumbs fall onto the water's surface. The mother and the babies swarmed them with appreciative quacks and chirrups.

She smiled as she leant on her arms on the side of the boat to watch them. The giant swan turned gently as it rolled past the little island. Little blue creatures darted about in the grass, watching the boats with large, black eyes.

"Oh look!" Amy looked up and smiled. "The Chao!"  
"Oh wow." He leant against the deck beside her. "You don't see them very often. Why do you think they've chosen to live in a theme park?"

Some of the little Chao waved and Amy smiled as they waved back at them.

"I suppose they like it here," she said. "They're out of the way on that little island, no one can intrude on them, and they can come and go as they please."

One of the Chao held out a paw and looked up.

Amy felt a drop of water strike her nose and she followed the Chao's gaze. The sky was slowly beginning to darken as a heavy, black rain cloud rolled in.

Rain drops bounced across the smooth, white surface of the boat and caused ripples to spread throughout the lake. The ducks didn't seem to mind, but the Chao scurried away for cover.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked round to find Espio still staring at the sky.

"I think we might want to shelter the rest of the way," he said.

Amy nodded and he ushered her ahead of him under the swan's gently sloping wings. The soft patter of rain drummed above them as they sat side by side watching the shore draw slowly closer. The amusement park's visitors marched quickly towards shelter. Some of them even ran laughing with their bags held over their heads.

"It might not be the best idea to stay out in this." Espio nodded to the sky. "It looks like a storm's coming."

Amy pursed her lips and let out a 'hmm.' "I think you might be right."

He stared at her for a moment, likely taking in her frown, and smiled. "Don't worry. I'll walk you back."

She flashed him a smile and shook her head. "You don't have to do that."

"Did you bring an umbrella?"

"No. I wasn't expecting the weather to turn out like this. It was so sunny this morning!"  
"Then I'm walking you back." He placed an arm along the back of the bench behind her. "I don't want you getting drenched."

His words barely registered in her mind since it wouldn't leave the fact that his arm was now behind her. It gave her the alarming urge to huddle back in her seat, but if she did that then the pair of them would look rather cosy.

Or he'd move it.

One or the other.

Maybe he wanted her to sit back?

That made the urge even stronger. But what if he didn't? She stared down at her hands and ran the process over in her mind. It was simple. Sit back. See what happens. But wait... What should she do with her own arms in this situation? Leave them in her lap? Fold them?

Fold them.

Then sit back.

Act nonchalant.

She sank down into her seat and crossed her legs, keeping her eyes on the shore. But she could feel him watching her, and the warmth of his arm against her neck.

He was probably wondering what she was doing, maybe just as unsure of the situation. If he didn't want her there then wouldn't he move his arm?

Or maybe he was just wondering why she was frowning.

She looked down at her folded arms and uncrossed them, letting her hands rest in her lap. She laced her fingers together and kept staring at the shore, trying to look as oblivious as she could.

Her body felt tense and she nibbled her lip, silently berating herself for being so nervous. Nothing moved. She didn't even twitch a finger or an eyebrow. She probably looked like a petrified doll.

His arm brushed against her and she leapt up so quickly it was like a spring had been released inside her. Her hand went to her mouth and she braced herself to apologise, but he laughed and stood up.

"Relax! We're here. That's all."

She turned slowly to look at the front of the boat. Sure enough, they'd arrived at the passenger dock. He strolled passed her and climbed out before offering her a hand. She took it and he hoisted her out of the boat onto the wooden platform. The gentleman behind the control booth was fixing her with an amused smile. She turned away from him and made her way to the door where Espio was waiting.

He reached into his bag and pulled out a black and purple umbrella. With the press of a switch it shot open with a 'whoosh'.

"So you came prepared?" she asked with a smile.

"I always have it." He looked down at her. "Umbrellas can be used to keep off the sun as well when it's too hot."

He offered his arm and she hesitated briefly before taking it. His umbrella switched hands so it covered the both of them and he led her through the crowds, the rain hammering against it and bouncing off the floor. They moved through the food stands and prize stalls, many of which had visitors huddled under the awnings for shelter, partaking in the games or buying a snack while they waited out the rain.

No sooner had they left the theme park, the sky opened up and rain fell down like a sheet of water. Thunder rumbled across the sky, causing Amy's fur to stand on end.

Espio switched his umbrella into his other hand and looped his arm around her waist, rushing her across the street to the nearest shop doorway. They clambered onto the step and he put the umbrella down, propping it against the wall.

"I don't really want to take our chances in a thunderstorm with an umbrella," he said.

"No. I understan-ah!"

The sky lit up with a flash of lightning and she leapt into him, burying her face between her hands and his chest. She felt his arm move around her shoulders as a deep rumble of thunder roared through the air.

Being caught outside in a thunderstorm was never at the top of her agenda. They always sounded so fierce. She preferred to be indoors watching TV, warm and safe from the storm.

That blast of thunder seemed to last forever. When it finally rolled away into the distance, she looked up from her quaking hands. She could feel Espio staring down at her, and his golden eyes softened when they met hers. Had he always looked at her like that? She wasn't sure, but the thought made her stomach flutter.

The whole situation was in stark contrast to what it was on the swan boat. Where she'd been nervous and uncertain wondering what the situation was, it was now written all over him. He _wanted_ to be around her.

She'd never thought that before, but she'd never paid him that much attention. Someone who enjoyed her company had been close by all this time.

Had Rouge known that?

Had this whole thing been planned, or was it just a fortunate co-incidence?

His grip around her shoulders had lessened now, giving her the option to move away, but she didn't want to. She adjusted her hand on his chest and moved into him. Immediately he fastened his arm tightly around her. He seemed to wait a while to see if she'd object, but when she didn't he raised the other hand and his fingers brushed through her quills stirring up that flutter in her stomach again before settling around her shoulders.

Another flash of lightning lit up the street. Amy closed her eyes, bracing herself for that inevitable roar that followed. Each one grew quieter as the storm moved further across the sky. Soon all that was left was the heavy patter of rain as it fell like a sheet from the sky, beating on the shelter above them like a little drum parade.

She was still held tightly in his arms, and she could feel his breath tickling the fur between her ears. A warring conflict rose in her where she was trying to decide whether or not she was disappointed that the storm might have come to an end.

"Is it over?" she mumbled against his chest.

"I think so." His voice came out as a whisper which made her wonder if he was thinking the same thing.

She turned her head to look out at the empty street. Not a single person was in sight, but the lights were on in all the shops, highlighting that despite how dingy it may seem it was still the middle of the day. Water streamed off the edge of the shelter in erratic patterns and what resembled a little river rushed through the gutter to gurgle noisily into an unseen drain.

Espio loosened his grip on her and pulled himself back. "It looks like it's letting up."

He released her and she stood back to allow him to retrieve his umbrella which had fallen over at some point. She cuddled herself as the cold, wet air washed around her. A whoosh cut through the sound of falling rain as he put up his umbrella and his golden eyes locked onto her, taking in her huddled form. Rather than offering her his arm, he slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her into his warm body.

Rain beat against the umbrella as he led her down the silent street. Neither of them said a thing despite the amount of questions swirling through her mind.

They soon covered the short distance to her apartment. Several of the lights were on in the rooms, including the lobby. He kept his umbrella over her as she fumbled in her bag for her card key. When she found it she stared at it for a moment then turned to face him.

"I had fun today," she said.

He smiled. "Me too."

"I have to say... I certainly wasn't expecting this." She fumbled with the card and gave a small smile. "You turned around what started off as a pretty stressful day."

He shrugged and moved closer to her. "You were great company."

All words failed her as she met his warm eyes. He held her gaze for a moment then stooped towards her, catching her lips with his. Her heart flipped into her chest and she heard the card key clatter to the floor beside her. Before she could fully register what had just happened, he pulled back from her and brushed her quills back from her face. She found a book placed into her hands and he gave her a half-smile.

"I thought you might want that back."

She looked down at the book. It was the same one she'd discarded in the park two days ago.

Two days ago, when she'd ranted to him about the dates in these books never working.

Everything fell into place like a massive stone jigsaw puzzle.

When she looked up, Espio was moving away from her towards the street.

"Wait!"

He paused and looked back at her.

Her heart was racing. She looked back at the book then at him as she tried to find the right words to string together, but all that came out was,

"Did you... plan this?"

He stared at her silently, and all she could do was stare back.

Everything that had happened today, from the flier through her door, had been planned? She hadn't thought much of it at the time. Her mailbox was amongst the others beside the main door. That meant someone would have needed to get into the locked building to slide it beneath her apartment door. Someone with a card key. He didn't have a card key, but it wouldn't have been impossible for someone with Espio's skills to enter a locked building.

Arranging a random encounter.

All he would have needed to do was sneak in, leave the flier, then wait on the street for her to leave her flat.

He'd taken everything she'd said on board, and planned it all.

That's why it had seemed like a story from a shoujo novel. She looked back down at the book.

"You did. You planned this."  
She heard his footsteps on the concrete as he moved back over to her.

"Of course I did. You seemed so upset the other day."

"I... I didn't even know if you'd listened to me. I was just a girl on a rant."

"Of course I listened."

"And you read this?"  
He shrugged. "To be honest, I read a few. I made notes, found what cliches kept coming up, I even checked to see when it would rain before leaving you that flier for Twinkle Park."

"Huh?!" Her eyes flew wide open and she looked up at him.

"You're a nice girl, Amy. You deserve to be taken on your dream date." He looked away from her and shrugged again. "Even if I'm not the one you want to take you on it, at least you now know someone's willing to do that for you."  
"That's... the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me."

He looked back round at her and his golden eyes melted into hers.

Rouge had been right. There was someone out there willing to sweep her off her feet, and she'd had no idea.

She threw her arms around his neck and caught him in a kiss. His hands went to her back to steady her before she teetered off the doorstep, and he held her in a gentle embrace as he pulled back from her. A warm smile spread across his face.

"I'm glad you enjoyed today," he said. "Maybe we can do it again?"

Amy beamed and clapped her hands together. "Definitely!"  
"Good."

She watched him as he moved onto the street, water trailing down the corners of his umbrella. He paused and looked back at her with a half-smile.

"Maybe I'll drop you another flier?"

She laughed and gave him a wave. After he moved out of sight, she stooped to retrieve her card key.

Now to spend the afternoon re-organising her book cases. Maybe she could rope Cream into helping her. She was pretty sure the little rabbit would want to hear all about it.

...

 **Please R &R! =D**


End file.
